Amid Coronavirus outbreak, WHO asks nations to stock up ventilators for patients

World Health Organisation on March 1 urged all the countries to start stocking up ventilators as the deadly COVID-19 continues to infect people. The deadly virus has killed over 3,000 people and infected nearly 88,000 people across the globe with the majority in mainland China, international media reported. 

WHO releases situation report

In the latest situation report released on Sunday, the WHO stressed that “oxygen therapy is a major treatment intervention for people with severe COVID-19”. The report added that all countries should work to optimize the availability of “pulse oximeters” and “medical oxygen systems”.  

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The report further revealed that the majority of patients are adults adding that only 2.1 % of the total patients in China were below the age of 20 years. It stated that clinical care of patients included early recognition, immediate isolation and implementation of appropriate infection prevention and control measures.

As per WHO's report, people with mild infection should be provided with “symptomatic care” and “optimised supportive care” with those with severe disease. 

According to the statistics provided by the UN health agency on March 1, there are 87,137 confirmed cases with 79,968 in China. The report also mentioned the symptoms of the disease which included fever, dry cough and shortness of breath amongst many others.  The reports also said that presently, there was no known effective antiviral therapy for this virus. 

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COVID-19 grips US

United States authorities on March 2 confirmed a second death in the Seattle area and also announced three other positive cases, taking the total number of cases in the country to nearly 88. According to international media reports, the person who died was a man in his 70s with underlying health conditions. He reportedly died in the same facility, Evergreen Health hospital in Kirkland, where officials had identified the nation's first Coronavirus death.